Album Themes

Gallows

AllMusic Review
by Gregory Heaney

After Gallows parted ways with singer Frank Carter over a differing opinion of what direction to take the band's sound, it was clear that some kind of change was on the horizon. That change comes to fruition on the band's third album, the eponymously titled Gallows. On the first album to feature new singer Wade MacNeil (formerly of Alexisonfire), the band's sound feels even more firmly rooted in the driving grind of Refused and Drive Like Jehu. Part of this is thanks to MacNeil, whose voice feels like a direct descendent of Rick Froberg as it casually drifts between a scream and a shout with reckless, vocal cord-shredding abandon. The rest of the band seems to have stepped up to the plate as well, adding a little grit to the mix to give songs like "Everybody Loves You (When You're Dead)" and "Austere" that extra bit of crash and bang that the bands of the '90s did so well. The end result is something that feels like a stronger, more distilled version of Gallows, making the self-titling of the album feel as though they are trying to reassert their mission statement by upping the swagger and intensity found in their songs. And where their last album found them playing with the formula a bit here and there, Gallows finds them staying the course, delivering high-octane thrills on every track in a way that feels as if it's meant to reassure fans that Gallows are done playing around and are ready to get back to business.